To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. TESTING TIME FOR TSA complete, naked view of the passenger and, therefore, a better chance of spying illegal objects and contraband on the person. “The face is not recognizable—the images are not stored,” assured Sammon, who pointed out there has been little passenger resistance as TSA rolled out 18 machines at participating airports in 2008 and was expected to add 10 by the end of March. For now, passengers are given a choice: Those selected for secondary screenings at participating airports can either get the pat-down or stand in the glass booth. TSA officials said at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., one of the first to deploy in 2007, 90 percent of the passengers went with the full body scan. The existing body scanner contract is held by L3 Communications Security and Detection Systems. Each L3 ProVision machine costs about $170,000, according to TSA. The devices—which can handle up to 600 passengers an hour, according to the vendor—are not without critics. Travel author and privacy expert Edward Hasbrouck said, “Fundamentally, what they are conducting is a search—a warrantless, suspicionless search” that has gone largely under the radar because it is still voluntary. One TSA official said they are aware of the sensitivities, but “we build privacy into the foundation” of all its security programs. Sammon said TSA has instituted measures in recent years to reverse that and to “engage the passenger to be on our side.” One example is designated “family lanes,” in which families and travelers with special needs (including those with medically necessary liquids, aerosols and gels) go through security checkpoints at their own pace. It is part of the new Diamond Self Select program, now available at some 50 airports. “The check-in process today is a lot more pleasant than years back,” said David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association. “You don’t find passengers standing in lines ad nauseam to get through.” Once considered the cutting edge of airport security, the Registered Traveler (RT) program has transformed into a quasi-private program resembling tollbooth E-ZPass lanes on the nation’s highways. Early on, TSA had touted RT as a voluntary service in which passengers would provide personal information, receive a card encoded with identifying information and be able to glide through airport security without the hassle. Today, willing passengers pay a fee to travel through the privately run Clear Lanes, which afford them a place “at the front of the line” at a number of the nation’s airports, but require that they go through the same security procedures, like removing shoes and laptops from bags, as everyone else. “It’s really a frequent flier program,” said Castelveter. Clear cards are encoded with biometrics, like iris scans or fingerprints. Right now the technology is being utilized in some airports for employee access cards. Internationally, in places like the United Kingdom, it is being used for passenger identification cards. Biometrics have been considered for all IDs in the United States, too, ‘People aren’t screaming and hollering’ While TSA officials are trying hard to counteract criticism that its screeners are inept and demoralized, it is also battling an image problem with the public. Tales of intrusive searches, barking TSOs, long lines and confusing procedures have marred the agency’s reputation since its inception. Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | May 2009 25